For instance, Deepak Hathiramani , founder of Vistronix Inc., a Reston, Va., technology support services company, was so unprepared for the challenges of a mid-tier contractor that his company stumbled after growing to $30 million in annual revenue.

Dan Gordon, the current administrator of the procurement policy office, says the Obama administration is making efforts to help growing contractors, by increasing transparency about upcoming business opportunities and breaking up large contracts into multiple, smaller ones that are within a mid-tier's reach.

Bloomberg News In Canada, some politicians have expressed worry that smaller and mid-tier Canadian mining and natural-resources companies will have a hard time raising capital if the London Stock Exchange succeeds in acquiring TMX.

In Canada, some politicians have expressed worry that smaller and mid-tier Canadian mining and natural-resources companies will have a hard time raising capital if the London Stock Exchange succeeds in acquiring TMX.

Chris King, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said in a report issued Friday that if Qwest sold its long-distance network and became a retail phone company it could become a buyer or a seller in the consolidation happening among rural and mid-tier phone companies.